Collapsible shipping-crate.



v v PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1908. W. E. THOROMAN.

GOLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1908.

UNITED STATES PAT NT. OFFICE.

Wl Lil/[AM l). 'lHUROliIAuY, ()l" DAYTON, OHIO.

' COLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING-CRATE.

' Application filed anuary 31,

To all 1117mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAME. Tnono MA'N, citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the :county of Montgomery and Stat 0 of Ohio, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Collapsible Ship ping-Crates; and I dodecla're the following to he a full, elcar,.and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in'the'art to which it appert-ains to inake and use the same, reference being had to-thcaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference markedtheref on, which form a part of thisspeeification.

improvements in shipping crates of the type known as' knock-down or collapsible shippingera'tes. i I The shipping crate is especially designed I fulas a shipping crate generally...

v The object of the invent'on 1sv to provide a practically indestructible knock-down shipping crateflnade of-she'et met-al and s0 united be reduced within the smallest Q possible. space for returning-when emptied. 11 providing a sheet metal shipping crate ofthat may this character, it is essenti'al thatthe'hinge'd.

portions of the crate shall be strong, and that so collapsed I and during the return ship "inenhthesaid hinged within the smallest possiblecompass-when;-

colla'psed- It isalso desirable tohave means for holding the eollapsed crate and prevent-' ing it"frorn opening or spreading after being "With. these ends in" "View, the in ate tiona the-crate. when the lidkisclo'sed. detailsectional view -o'ri-the-llne a a of-F1ge2,

com rises the structural features and pe'euliarities hereinafterv deseribed in connection with the-aecornpanying drawings, of which Figure 1',"is apers ective view'oft-heshi ing cratewith the lid or eover'thrown bac ig. 2; s a'fro'ntedge view-of the cratein a culla sod-condition: Fig.- 3, is cross-secll-iriew of theouter-sedge oiithe; lid and the upper edge. of the front or end panels of Fig. 4, is a looking'in thedirection oft-he arrow. In a detail deseription' of the invention,

similar reference eharacters indicat'e'Jcorre- 'spondingi-parts-r As prevlousl constructed 0 sheet metal, the front and rear'sideshnd the twowentlsz of which are Specification of Letters Patent.

This invention relates tokncwan'd-u'seful for the shipment-of. eggs, but. isequally use-.

and thetop ofthe ortion's shall fold'in a mans: iner which enab es the crate to be brought.

-"and lie between it they actually that owing-to tatedQf'tIie shipping crate is As shown in the. drawings, the front and 60 rear panels 1 and 2 and the end panels .3 and 4 are connected by means of hinges 5 which are riveted to the respective ends of said front, rear andend panels. These hinges extend the entire heightof said panels and 5 thus reinforce the corners of the crate to a very great extent, and thereby preserve the 'crate indefinitely. The said hinges, are provided with ialternate-"apertured heads 6" through which the hinged pivotin the form of a rod 7 extends, so that the entire corners from'bottorn to top of the 'crate are-rnade to ,withst-andthe strain1 z 'Th'ebott om Sfand the .topor lid .9, are; provided with similar longi- I tudinal hinges 5' by means of which said bot tom and top are hinged throughout their lengths to the :bottomof .the'front panel-1 rear panel 2; These longitudinal hinges whiehyeonnectj-thetop and bottom of the erate'to the-front and'rear Si panels; are; also provided with- 'ape'rtured eads :6 throughout ,their lengths through.

"which thepivotl rod 7'. passes to form the hinges.- When the top and bott-olnbfi the'l crate are so connected; the to'p'-='may fold- $5 down" against theout-erside of the-'rear'pan'ehf and the botte' 'nrnayfold "up against the" enter side'of the front'panela's' shown in the collapsed formemfi 2-, and the end panels'g} e front and rear panels 9;

and substantially parallel. thereto.

a, The marginal edges lOIof the t, pgand bottonfi v of the crate are-bent at right angles to'their bodies, andthese' bent-margins are adapted to entergrooves l1 formed'on the inner sides 9' 5" rear sides-and the ends-of the 1 "crater; These 'groovesyll in' the front' and? rearsi'des of the. crate are form'ed on the edges opposite the hinged edges', wh.ile' the ofthe front and in the top and bottom edges thereofri In- Fig; 3, the groovesll'and the tongue-10ers showman somewhat larger dimensions than" are; but i wants antlers-sea the thinness ofthe sheet metal. :10;- -'these features "will be much thinner when show'nin cross section and willfit' closer than;

the are shown in saidfigure of the drawings.

' he interior of the crate is divided b a partition edges erate.

ooves'on the-ends of the crate areiferrned 1100- 12- which is hinged at 1 ts vertical -11"t the frorit' and"rear panels of'the j The hinges 5 are sun-liar to the the end panels of the crate.

whichconnect the other portions of the crate and extend throughout the depth of said par' til ion 124 Whenthe crate is collapsed,- this middle part-itimi l2 folds in a direction with The dotted cross lincs':.-;hown in Fig. 1, indicate the position of the egg fillers which are constructed of. card 1 board, and provide the multiplicity of cells in curcly held in its collapsed form.

which the eggs are individua ly pla'ced. I

13 designates two catches placed upon the upper and. lower edges of .tl o middle part-ition 12. The object and. "pose of these catelasor turn buttons are v in its collapsed condition and to thus prevent it from opening or spreading in return shipinent. 'lhis'locking of the crate in its-collapsed form is accomplished by the elongated,- portions of tlie turn buttons 13 extending Ythroughelongated slots H in the' front andrear'panels of the crate, and after being so?- (1 through said slots 14, the eh'mga ted' po o'ns of SZ'Ild'Ofi-tClIPS or turn. buttons 13 are turned at r ght angles to the planes of the slots 14 and thus tlm-hcollapscd cratc is se- The top and bottom of the crate are providedwith hinged hasps 15 which receivestaples 16 on the front-and rear panels-of the crate and the top and bottom are'thus held in position while the crate is in a servic al)lc condition. The ends of the crate arc'provided with handles 17 byvmeans of which it"niay be i l. conveniently moved. I Th'c'hinged hasps .15 and the staples 16 are also utilized 'to prevent .the top andbot'tom of the crate from opening .when thecrate in a collapsed condition;

- when so utilized, the hasps 15 on the 'top orlid of the crate receive the staples 16 on the rear anel, while the hasps 15 on the bottom of he crate receive the staples 16.011 the front panel of the crate, and by inserting a pin or othersinember (not shown) through said staples and infront of the hasps, the said top and bottom portions of the crate will 'be maintained in positions parallcl'with the front and rear panels ofthe crate when the crate is collapsed. a

' It' will be understood that the catches .or turnbuttons 13 on the central partition 12' are instrumental. in preventing t o collapsed lcrate from opening on its vertical hinges, which are the hinges-which oin the ends and central partition to the front and rear panels ofthe crate. It will thus be seen that the hasps and staples, together w th the turn buttons provide efficient means for inaintaining the crate in its collapsed condition. In Fig.

4, the hasps and staplesare shown in their relative positions while serving to hold the topand bottom of the crate in parallel posi:

p tions when the crate ismillapsed.

ithesame consisting of front and rear sides I'cla'im:- y i f 1. A collapsible sheet metal slnppingcrate;

a'nd bottom and top portions united by horiecurc the crate zontal hinges extending the lengths of said front and rear and top and bottom portions, and end and central-partition portions united to the front and rearportions of the crate by vertical hinges extending the entire depth of said endand central partition portions, the top and bottom portions having hasps, and the front and rear portions having staples which cooperate to maintain the top. and bottom v iii-position when the crate is in a serviceable ,form -or'toniaintain the top and bottom par- ,allel with the rear and front-portions when the-crate iscollapsed, anddneans on the' ceic tral partition coi'iperating with means on the. front and rear portions of the crate to prevent the crate fro'mopening on-the vertical hinges when in a collapsedcondition? i 2. In a collapsible sheet metal -sl'1ip ')ing icrate; front and rear panels hinged to top and bottom portions, and end panels hingednt.

'their opposite edges to the vertical edges of --the front and rear panels, the front and rear panels having grooves intheir opposite long1-' tudinal edges and the end panels having simi larv grooves in their-top and bottom edges.

ginal edges adapted to' enter. said grooves when the top and bottom of-thecrate are '90 the topv and bottom of the crate having marclosed, liasps on vthetop andb'ottom of said crate, and staples on the front and. rear sides ,thereof'whieh cooperate with said hasps in maintaining the crate in a serviceable condition or in a collapsed condition, a central par tition, and means thereon engaging the front and rearpanels ofthe crate to hold the crate in a collapsed condition,,=. substantiallyas:

. 3. A sheet metal collapsible shipping crate,

the front and rear panels of which are hinged at their vertical-edges to the end panels, top and bottom panels hinged to the upper and' lower edges-respectively,, of the front and rear panels, the front and rear panels-being provided each with onefor 11101'6 staples and a longitudinal slot, the top and bottom panels. bein provided each with one or more hasps Whic cooperate with the staples on the front and rear panels. in maintaining the top and.

bottom ofthe crate in a serviceable position or .111 position whenthe crate IS collapsed, a central partition in said crate hinged at; its

vei'tical edges to the front and rear panels ofthe crate, and means-thereon which cooper ate with the slots in the front and rear panels to prevent-the crate when in a collapsed con- ,dition, from' opening on the hii'iges wl ii'ch connect the end panelsand the central. partition 4 to the front-and rear panels'of the'crate;

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature,

in presence of two witnesses.

p 7 WILLIAM E. THOItOll-IAN:

Witnesses:- I

j R. J MCCARTY,

" CLAIR GIBBS. 

